Editor’s note: WSU M.B.A. student Kanira Jain wrote the following blog post about the importance of managing indvidual and corporate online images.

In the Internet age, companies face various social media challenges. Primary among them: Online reputation management. As a larger portion of our personal lives are shared online, more and more of us are making startling discoveries about the major downside of over-sharing on social media and the inability to completely control how we are presented on the Internet.

In the U.S., 70 percent of human resource recruiters have rejected a candidate based solely upon information found online. - Source: Handbook of Social Media Interactive Marketing

Primary examples of lost control range from posted Facebook photos that someone else shared and tagged, without the subject’s permission, to negative comments and reviews about anything at all. At the same time, by not engaging in social media is to risk losing out on any kind of online presence. It’s important to remember that the impact of a person’s digital reputation can be immense and not taking advantage it can mean missed opportunities. Societal and ethical issues in the information age are a common topic for conversation in both personal and professional circles.

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